Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STA ES PATENT ()FFIOE.

' THOMAS ELLISON, OF ABINGDON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,407, dated May 5,1874 application filed February 11, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

' connected by levers when it is desired to uncouple the cars, all ashereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvedcoupling, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view, showingmy improved coupling device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, andFig. 3 is a top plan view.-

Referring to the parts by letters, letters A A represent the ends of twoadjacent cars coupled by my improved device. B B represent thedraw-heads, one side of each of which has an opening or slot with aninclined face, I), in front, and a similar-shaped slot, I), in rear, thetwo slots or openings b I) being divided by a wall, D". is a block, C,the upper end, 0, of which projects forward, and is rounded off, asshown, at its lower forward corner, and .is vertically grooved for thereception of the latch-shaped catches, and its lower front portion 0forms a bumper to sustain the blow from an approaching car. 7 D D arelatch-shaped plates or blocks, the lower ends of which are rounded offin front and out with a right-angular notch in rear. They are also cutwith vertical slots 01, and provided at their rear ends with tongues orledges d, which fit corresponding grooves in the blocks 0 O. E is a pinor bolt passed lat- On the other side of the draw-head erally throughthe block 0 and slot 01 of the latch D. G G are levers pivoted on posts9 g secured to the blocks 0 0. Their forward ends are pivoted tothe'latches D D. h is a catch, also secured to the block 0, and servesto secure the lower end of the lever G when the latch is raised.

The operation of my invention is as follows: As the cars come togetherthe rounded forward ends of the latches D D enter the outer slots of thedraw-heads, and, coming in contact with the inclosed faces I) b, theywill be forced upward until their points pass over the wall I), whenthey will fall, by their own gavity, into the slots 1), and securelyhold the cars together until uncoupled by raising the latches D byforcing down the levers G. The latches thus slide up and down in theslots or grooves in the forward ends of the blocks 0 0, coupling thecars automatically. When de sired, they may be retained ,in an elevatedpo sition by hooking the levers Gin the catches h.

By having two latches, D D, in each drawhead it will be evident thatwhen a car is .turned end for end it will not disarrange the couplingfeatures. A hole may be bored in the forward end of either or bothdraw-heads, and a funnel-mouth be added for the purpose of coupling tothe ordinary draw-headand linkand-pin couplings.

I claim 1. The latch D, having the vertical slot d and rounded andnotched lower end, in combination with the grooved block 0, havingbumper O, and the draw-head B, having slots 1) b, substantially as andfor the purpose specified. A

2. The combination of the latch D, block (J. draw-head B, and lever G,constructed to 0p crate as and for the purpose specified.

, THOMAS ELLISON.

WVitnesses:

PLATT R. RICHARDS, THOMAS McKEE.

